The link between rifles & vending machines

A Sig Sauer 716i in .308 caliber

Lock and load .... ready on the firing line ....

I am on record saying I would never own an AR-type rifle.

Among other things, they have no class; no beauty; no sex appeal.

Behold, a Sig Sauer 716i in .308 caliber crowned with an after-market, red dot, Vortex sight acquired on my jaunt to Dakota. The third guy in the "band of loosely-connected characters" who gathered for the "Great Dakota Shoot Out" had purchased four, shiny-new AR rifles in about a three-week period. The most expensive in the batch is a Fabrique Nationale (FN) SCAR which cost him $3,499.99 straight from the factory. Yep, really. The others were in the $1,500 range.

He can afford them. He inherited a vending machine business which his father had established over the course of many/many years. The secret to wealth? Maybe, be a doctor; maybe, be a lawyer; for sure, operate vending machine concessions in colleges, hospitals, factories established and bought and paid for by a parent.

Yep, he can afford them, but he was a bit embarrassed by so many purchases in such a short period of time that he decided to cut this one loose for $1,100.

Anyway, my son (the instigator) and I (the guy with the checkbook) went halves on this hummer.

We both get to shoot it; he gets hang on to it, but has to clean it and keep it spotless ....

Now, because I said I never would have an AR-type I am left wondering if, since I only do own half of one, am I a liar or a half-liar or a what ....

Neither here nor there material .... 

For those reading this who are unfamiliar with the .308 cartridge, it also is known as the 7.62 millimeter as fired in the M-14 rifle, which for a few years was the standard rifle of the United States military. It succumbed to the AR-15 / M-16 in .223 caliber, which translates to 5.56 millimeter. One reason (probably the primary reason) the M-14 was dumped was because American troops had trouble handling the recoil of the .308, whose ballistics are similar to a .30-06. The .30-06 was the primary round used in our military rifles during World Wars I and II and in Korea.

For the record (it seems like I say that with a degree of frequency), I have no trouble handling either the .308 or the .30-06 and suspect another of my reasons for disliking the AR-types was because of the .223 caliber. I also suspect one of the reasons I gave in on (partially) owning an AR is its present availability in several calibers, including the .308 / 7.62.

What is the purpose of the .308 / .30-06 / .223 data mentioned here? I have no idea what to say other than to blame my fingers for not wanting to stop typing.

I just came inside from looking at the "Hunter's Moon." It is spectacular .... it is beautiful .... enjoy it ....

By the way, one of the videos here is a new, pre-release version of "7 And 7 Is" by Deep Purple .... and, yes, it really is Deep Purple, at least current members of the band as they now exist .... ancient codgers that they are. The other video is Queen performing "I'm in Love with My Car," with song composer Roger Taylor doing the vocals. This song harkens back to my double Mustang GT 5.0 era .... oooouuuu, sweeeeeet ....

Many here among us wonder if life is but a joke

Bob Dylan               Jimi Hendrix                 Howie GSo let us not talk falsely, the hour is late ....

"Remembering the past and imagining the future are hallmarks of mental time travel. We provide evidence that such experiences are influenced by individual differences in temporal and affective biases in cognitive style, particularly brooding rumination (a negative past-oriented bias) and optimism (a positive future-oriented bias)."

No, I did not write those words. They came from a 2018 psychological research report about a study of individual differences in mental time travel and in regard to the past and the future in daily life. I stumbled onto the report while trying to learn if there is a clinical definition/explanation for someone's mind bouncing randomly all over the map of their memories of their life experiences. I quickly read the report and then stumbled right back out of it.

I never did learn if there is a clinical definition/explanation for "it," so I turned instead to recollection of some of the concerts I have heard and a few of the songs which especially appeal to me.

Bobby Dylan wrote "All Along the Watchtower" and Jimi Hendrix made it famous. How many people have recorded it is anyone's guess. I have listened to numerous renditions and the one I believe, without question, is the best is the piece performed here by Howard Jarrett. He is a guitarist and singer/songwriter working out of Cheshire in the United Kingdom.

Known professionally as Howie G, this version was recorded while he was a member of The Classic Rock Show. He can do magic with a guitar, he is a gifted singer and -- best of all -- he enunciates the lyrics clearly and distinctly and understandably, eliminating any necessity for interpretation or for asking:

"What did he just say?"

By the way, I continue to be curious to learn "if there is a clinical definition/explanation for someone's mind bouncing randomly all over the map of their memories of their life experiences."

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated .... one of my daughters thinks my curiousity about this is because I am sort of "goofy" and the other daughter approves because she thinks it is healthy. "You literally are searching for answers to your questions about life and living instead of simply watching what passes for news on the 'idiot tube,'" she says with a sly smile, "which is healthy for you."

Hmmmm ....

Once more, before the snow ....

Autumn signaled football and hunting when I was a boy, and those things will be part of me forever. The fact that I no longer play football or hunt does not mean I do not enjoy watching football or firing firearms. Quite the contrary, but both are best done before frigid blizzards have made their appearance and my son and I and a friend are planning to shoot/shoot/shoot one more time before winter arrives and takes much of the fun out of it.

Each of us brings two handguns so we all will fire 48 rounds from each of six guns at motion and stationary targets. My contribution to the "Great Dakota Shoot Out" will be the two Glocks shown here. The smaller one is a Model 30S in .45 caliber with a 3.875-inch barrel and an after-market tactical light attached; the larger one is a Model 24 in .40 caliber with a 6.02-inch barrel and an after-market tactical light, as well as a laser sight attached. The "tiny" handgun is a Baby Browning in .25 caliber, which is not part of the competition, unless in the unlikely event it is necessary to break a tie.

"I can't tell you but it lasts forever"

A few days ago, I wrote these words in a comment: "I won a few editorial writing contests by not being hesitant to dive headfirst into controversial topics and managed to ignore threats and offers of money and sex regarding certain stances. I had a guy "sucker punch" me on one occasion, and all he got in response as he turned and literally ran away was a grinning smirk. Hmmmm .... how much audacity is too much audacity ...."

My point being I assume with a high degree of certainty the photograph and the post will upset the sensibilities of a few folks. Anyone who stops by here with a degree of regularity will already know that firearms have been a major part of my life since I was a boy and if he, she or it cannot live with that fact, it is their problem, not mine.

These guns are legally owned and used for legal purposes, which includes target shooting and self-protection. Once upon a time, I was an avid hunter, but have not hunted for a number of years and actually no longer approve of it. Does this mean I am anti-hunting? Sort of .... Does this mean I am an anti-hunter? No, it does not .... My own experience gives me the ability to understand those who hunt and why they hunt, and this is an instance where understanding breeds acceptance.

Do I believe the world would be a better place without firearms? It probably would be, but, in a general sense, guns often are the last resort for the small and the weak among us to protect themselves from the bad and the brutal and the bully types.

Each of us lives in our own world, our own space, and my position largely is treat others as you wish to be treated. In other words, we all are different and, looking through the lens of time, in all probability always will be .... so, our only alternative for long-term survival is to learn to accept others of all colors, religions, politics and personal interests .... and, to get along.

Thus, endeth the sermon for the first day of October 2021 ....